USDA Offers Disaster Recovery Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Texas Impacted by Recent Flooding

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Texas, May 28, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to assist farmers and livestock manufacturers across Texas recuperate from recent flooding. Impacted producers need to contact their regional USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program options offered to assist in their recovery from crop, land, facilities, and livestock losses and damages.

USDA Disaster Recovery Assistance

Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of typical death might be qualified for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To take part in LIP, producers will need to offer acceptable documentation of death losses arising from an eligible unfavorable weather condition event and must send a notification of loss to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) no behind the annual program payment application date, which is 60 calendar days following the fiscal year in which the loss took place. The LIP payment application and notification of loss due date is March 3, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses. For ELAP, manufacturers are needed to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no behind Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.

Additionally, qualified orchardists, vintners and nursery tree growers might be qualified for cost-share assistance through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to replant or fix up eligible trees, bushes or vines. TAP complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or coverage, which covers the crop however not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application need to be submitted within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines appears.

"Staff at your regional FSA county workplace will connect you with the programs finest fit to satisfy your needs based upon your reported losses or damages," said Kelly Adkins, State Executive Director for FSA in Texas. "To assist us help you, please be prepared to supply files, such as farm records, herd inventory, invoices and images of damages or losses, and report damages and losses as quickly as you have the ability to assess catastrophe effect on your operation."

FSA also provides a range of direct and guaranteed farm loans, consisting of operating and emergency situation farm loans, to manufacturers unable to secure business financing. Depending on program financing availability, producers in counties with a main or adjoining catastrophe classification may be qualified for low-interest emergency situation loans to assist them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can assist producers replace necessary residential or commercial property, purchase inputs like animals, equipment, feed and seed, cover household living expenses or re-finance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA offers numerous loan maintenance alternatives offered for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the company because of factors beyond their control.

Producers who have risk security through federal crop insurance or FSA's NAP should report crop damage to their crop insurance coverage representative or FSA office, respectively. If they have crop insurance coverage, producers must provide a notice of loss to their agent within 72 hours of preliminary discovery of damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.

For NAP covered crops, a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) kind should be filed within 15 days of the loss emerging, other than for hand-harvested crops, which must be reported within 72 hours.

"Because there is constantly the possibility of losses from floods and other natural catastrophes, USDA provides crop insurance and threat management to assist manufacturers reduce the monetary impact of losses resulting from catastrophe occasions, like these, that are beyond their control," stated James Bellmon, Director of RMA's Regional Office that covers Texas. "Our representatives, loss adjusters, and Approved Insurance Providers are prepared to support you through the tough catastrophe healing process."

FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) can help landowners with monetary and technical support to get rid of particles from farmland such as woody product, sand, rock and materials from collapsed hoop houses/high tunnels on cropland or pastureland. Through the program, FSA can supply support towards the remediation or replacement of fences consisting of animals cross fences, limit fences, cattle gates or wildlife exclusion fences on farming land.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is always offered to offer technical assistance throughout the healing process by helping producers to plan and execute preservation practices on farms, ranches and working forests impacted by natural catastrophes. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can assist manufacturers strategy and carry out conservation practices on land impacted by natural disasters.

NRCS likewise administers the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which provides help to local government sponsors with the cost of addressing watershed impairments or dangers such as debris elimination and streambank stabilization. The EWP Program is a healing effort focused on relieving impending threats to life and residential or commercial property triggered by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural disasters. All projects should have a qualified job sponsor. NRCS might bear up to 75% of the qualified building and construction cost of emergency situation steps (90% within county-wide limited-resource areas as determined by the U.S. Census data). The staying expenses need to originate from local sources and can be in the kind of money or in-kind services.

EWP is designed for installation of healing steps to protect life and residential or commercial property as a result of a natural disaster. Threats that the EWP Program addresses are described watershed problems. These consist of, however are not restricted to:

- Debris-clogged waterways.

• Unstable streambanks.
• Severe erosion jeopardizing public facilities.
• Wind-borne debris elimination.
  
  Eligible sponsors include cities, counties, towns or any federally acknowledged Native American people or tribal organizations. Sponsors must have the ability to offer the local building share, acquire permits and site access and consent to carry out operations and upkeep of the constructed tasks. Willing sponsors need to send an official request (by mail or email) to the state conservationist for help within 60 days of the natural catastrophe event or 60 days from the date when access to the sites end up being offered. For more details, potential sponsors should call their local NRCS workplace.
  
  "NRCS can be an extremely important partner to help neighborhoods with their recovery efforts," stated Kristy Oates, NRCS State Conservationist in Texas. "Emergency Watershed Protection assists safeguard neighborhoods from additional damage and risks to life and residential or commercial property triggered by the results of flooding in watersheds. We can work with a regional sponsor to assist cover the expenses of particles elimination and other disaster mitigation. Our personnel will work with neighborhoods to make evaluations of the damages and develop techniques that concentrate on efficient healing of the land."
  
  Additional USDA catastrophe assistance details can be found on farmers.gov, consisting of USDA resources specifically for manufacturers affected by flooding. Those resources consist of the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool. For FSA and NRCS programs, manufacturers need to call their regional USDA Service Center. For help with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners need to call their crop insurance coverage agent.
  
  USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in a lot of positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a higher focus on more durable regional and local food production, fairer markets for all manufacturers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and healthy food in all communities, constructing brand-new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers utilizing climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historical investments in infrastructure and tidy energy abilities in rural America, and devoting to equity across the Department by getting rid of systemic barriers and developing a workforce more representative of America. To discover more, visit www.usda.gov.